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Sobhraj is the real-life inspiration for the Netflix series "The Serpent."
French serial killer Charles Sobhraj is a free man at the age of 78.
Dubbed "The Serpent," Sobhraj was freed from a Nepali prison on Friday after Nepal's court on Wednesday ordered his early release due to his failing health, age and good behavior. Sobhraj reportedly suffers from heart disease and had served about 75% of his sentence when he was released.
He was serving a life sentence -- which, in Nepal, is only 20 years -- for the 1975 murders of two tourists, American backpacker Connie Jo Bronzich and her Canadian friend Laurent Carriere.
The photo above is him today, aboard a plane to France, following his release. In his seat, he told AFP that he feels "great." He's reportedly banned from returning to Nepal for at least 10 years.
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View StoryBefore his Nepali imprisonment, he also spent 20 years behind bars in India for poisoning a bus full of French tourists ... and escaped from being behind bars numerous times in several different countries.
Sobhraj is believed to have killed at least 20 people -- mainly tourists who he allegedly drugged, robbed and then murdered -- in India, Thailand, Nepal, Hong Kong, Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan.
His exploits were covered extensively in the Netflix series "The Serpent," in which he was portrayed by Tahar Rahim. The series highlighted his many alleged crimes, while being pursued by real-life former Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg.
